Journal of Patrick Donahue, Sole Survivor

By Bôvel Based on semi-blind modded Survival-playthrough of Fallout 4. [Contains descriptions of drugs, slavery, sex & violence!]

[patsythegreaser]

dude! wheres all the weekly story u promised? and more ocs

In short - life got in the way. I’ve recovered enough from the burnout to be able to work, but juggling that with Uni. studies and other complicated parts of life has been overwhelming. The schoolwork has mainly been writing papers which strongly contributed to a lack of motivation and flow when it came to any fictional works that I do on my free time. A sliver of good news is that before the holidays I got back into the game and resumed preparing entries as part of weaving the larger story. Speaking of a larger story, in terms of more original characters I can reveal that I have worked on and played a second character on the side of Patsy during fall. Her name is Sabeel, she is wizened sniper from the West Coast with a growing list of targets as she travels across post-apocalyptic America. Expect her very soon in upcoming entries.

[patsythegreaser]

12212287-52

Knight Donahue, personal log entry 52. It came as a surprise to learn that supplies on the Prydwen were sold & not given to us brothers & sisters. I held my tongue because I had recently been given power armor & wanted to avoid seeming ungrateful. Proctor Teagan, quartermaster on the Prydwen, explained that in a world without industries everything is valuable & everyone's caps support the cause. He seemed too content doing nothing but handling caps all day long.

I've spent most of the last few days studying, attending lectures by senior members & reading historical mission reports. Defectors from the United States Armed Forces created the Brotherhood of Steel which helps explain why I feel so at home among their ranks.

The Brotherhood formed to reclaim & preserve knowledge & technology in an effort to protect humanity from itself. To prevent the events of the Great War* from repeating. An army of undetectable, mass-produced androids is only the latest threat. *The detonation of nuclear weapons all over the world, only lasted for two hours.

Despite an apocalypse, there were still a lot to learn about the world & Scribe Singh helped me make sense of things. I learned that "Raiders" is a generic term for groups of lawless & often violent scavengers, not a specific gang! I also learned that the New England Commonwealth is now only referred to as "The Commonwealth".

Senior Scribe Neriah, head of biological research, lectured about mutated organisms most commonly found in the Commonwealth. Intense & prolonged exposure to radiation has mutated many species of insects & is the cause of ghoulification among mammals, including humans. Super mutants (humans & canines) on the other hand mutated because of the Forced Evolutionary Virus, once created in the search for a cure of the New Plague before the war.

The topic made me worry about the future, Shaun's to be specific. I asked the scribe what I should do to best protect my son. She rambled about her research with words beyond my understanding but then made me an offer, I bring her bio-samples & is the first to get my hands on the finished anti-rad-serum.

Today I was shown my very own bunk & footlocker on the main deck. It’s situated under one of the Prydwen's balloons, on a platform above the archives. The area mainly smells of gas & grease, which I can get used to, but also a stink of ratshit coming from Scribe Neriah's pens. One night's sleep in a real bed before my first mission as Knight.

Paladin Danse had requested a minor mission to allow me to get used to the T-60 armor. Our objective will be to scout & possibly clear a potential food stock.

Knight P. Donahue Recon Squad Gladius

[patsythegreaser]

12162287-51

Knight Donahue, personal log entry 51. Pain from the incisions & side-effects of the meds severely limited my ability to explore the Prydwen. Instead, I've spent a lot of time talking to Cade & Singh. She helped me reprogram my Pip-Boy to allow proper recording & transfer of mission reports & other logs. Scribe Initiate Singh is like a train, when she is on the "right" track she listens to nobody & is almost impossible to stop.

Knight-Captain Cade does everything by the books which can make him seem dry or even uncaring. But he knows & keeps an eye on all of the Prydwen's crew. He was curious about my experiences with the rumored biological synths. I was honest & said that if I had been in contact with one, then I was unaware of it.

Like myself, the Brotherhood had crossed paths with the plastic synth variants & studied their make. In turn I asked him about cybernetic implants & Cade told me it was an expensive, rare & risky practice more often seen in the New California Republic. That's what NCR must stand for!

I finally got a chance to clean myself. They disinfected me before they cut me open but now I could scrub behind my ears & between my toes. I managed to shave on my own & Singh helped me cut my hair. Despite my attempts I still felt unclean, especially knowing worms were still inside me. I barely recognized the person in the mirror with more than just one scar & very hollow eyes & cheeks. The parasites are to blame!

Paladin Danse had mentioned that my new rank would earn me a full suit of power armor. Curiosity got the better of me & I carefully snuck over to the engineering bay this evening. In five out of six P.A. workstations there stood complete sets of the T-60 series, all remarkably well-preserved. I only studied their schematics & never worked with one hands on.

When I stood admiring the T-60s a woman in a naked P.A. frame approached me. After a brief discussion on the improved core shielding of T-60s compared to T-45s, we both knew the other knew their power armor. She was Proctor Ingram, engineering officer on the airship. Already knowing who I was, she motioned to the next T-60 over & told me it was my very own.

Proctor Ingram praised me for the level of detail that I provided in my report on the train track mission. But she was skeptical towards, perhaps even amused by, my recommendation to repair & restore functionality of carriages still on the tracks to later free up the railway. She told me to come back & report to her in the bay when I was back on duty. I would only be happy to oblige.

Knight P. Donahue Recon Squad Gladius

[patsythegreaser]

It’s finally finished! This addendum takes place after this entry and before this other one. /Bôvel

Addendum: Kellogg, Conrad

The technology Dr. Amari utilizes allows for a non-invasive interface with the human mind & through this, the exploration of virtual recreations. In this case based on data recovered from the hitman's remains. This tech is beyond my scope of understanding, but I theorize that the main channel for information is through sight. Hence the monitor in each pod.

Being within the simulation was disorienting. I couldn't tell up from down even though I saw myself standing when I looked at my feet. There was no pull of gravity. Moving was complicated because there were no resistance nor sensation of motion. Any missing visual data appeared as a void, which was almost everywhere.

Both the memory loungers & the virtual recreation reminded me of a project from before the bombs. Simulations for general combat training or even specific mission practice. Last I heard it was handed over to a contractor firm.

Visual inspection of each memory only yielded limited information but interaction with the environment offered me glimpses of Kellogg's thoughts. This method proved more efficient than I expected & left me feeling overloaded.

There really was a world-wide apocalypse! I haven't come across anything to suggest the opposite since I was thawed out of the Vault but hope is like tar - it sticky & it lingers.

People are trying to rebuild the world though. On the West Coast folks have banded together and formed the NCR (not sure what it stands for), a seemingly functional military-enforced government. The city of San Francisco still stands but has been infested by the Reds?!

I've learned that the Institute is hidden & sheltered out of fear of contamination, but I'm not sure from what. Disease or radiation is my working hypothesis. Synths were developed as proxies to act on their behalf beyond their compound(s). With time they became more efficient but only recently good enough to replace living people That's where Kellogg came in & enacted the will of the Institute in the New England Commonwealth.

I was forced to relive that day in the Vault. The day I watched my wife die & I did nothing. I tried to beg Amari to abort the simulation, she reminded me about Shaun & why I was doing this.

Compared to the previous memories this one seemed more complete, no missing faces or walls. Only on rare occasions did the Institute people meet Kellogg face-to-face, maybe why this event stood out to him. My discomfort increased when I saw myself through someone else's eyes, I looked off somehow. I was gripped by panic when I saw myself, Kellogg rather, aim a gun at Nora. Again, there was nothing I could do but watch as the love of my life was taken from me. All I wanted was to weep when I heard Shaun crying, but the simulation didn't allow me to

My memories bled into those of Kellogg, that is why each simulated memory was sharper & more complete than the one before. This man didn't care about the other people in the stasis pods but they were my neighbors & I knew their faces.

When he stood looking down the barrel of his gun at my wife, was it Nora that reminded him of his late wife or was it my mind that paired my feelings towards her with Conrad's feelings towards Sarah? Even though I knew what would happen, I felt relief seeing one of the scientists carry Shaun away, unharmed. Or was it actually Conrad that felt relief that he didn't have to kill an infant? Both of us would do, will do, anything for our families!

Maybe I & Conrad are more similar than I want to admit? Both of us have justified some violent & questionable actions with the safety & happiness of our loved ones. Both of us turned to mercenary work when running low on dough, without hesitation.

I've been tracking down the Brotherhood of Steel & I want to attract their attention, because they have the firepower & vehicles I need. They are also the only people I've met with intact power armor. After Conrad came to the New England Commonwealth he did a similar evaluation of the Institute. They were the biggest threat against him & the only folks with anything to offer him beyond caps. The lines of separation I imagined before are getting blurry.

The others cryogenically interred in Vault 111 didn't die because of a mechanical malfunction of the facility. "The old man" had instructed the kidnappers to disrupt the life support & in turn leave no loose ends. Conrad called me a backup, that's why I was spared.

I still have so many questions! If they took Shaun because he was uncontaminated, then why would they have him live out in the open a few years later? And with their operator, nonetheless! Has my boy outlived his usefulness for the Institute? Conrad was suspicious about this arrangement though, he thought of it as "another one of the old man's plans".

Patrick Donahue, Survivor

[patsythegreaser]

When you get that Fallout-feeling!

[patsythegreaser]

17th Dec., 2287

A few hours after midnight I was woken up by heavy vibrations in the floor that I slept on. The old station shook as the vertibird landed on its roof. Reinforcements were brought to the location via the transport, soldiers of the Brotherhood, one who wore a T-60 power armor. 

I was under the impression that all of Squad Gladius would be extracted but both Haylen & Rhys remained in Cambridge. Shortly before takeoff the pilot of the vertibird told me that Ada would have to stay behind due to weight restrictions. For a moment I felt torn but I knew this is my best chance at locating the Institute & getting Shaun back. Me & Ada talked about it, I offered suggestions on where she could seek refuge & promised to return to fix her legs.

At dawn, the vertibird took me & Danse from the ruins of Boston up to the massive airship. The Prydwen, as it's called, is anchored to the control tower at Boston Airport. I was even more impressed by it up close than at a distance.

Lancer Captain Kells, captain of the airship, greeted us on the flight deck. He was accompanied by Scribe Initiate Singh who brought me straight to the infirmary on recommendation by Haylen. Knight-Captain Cade, medical officer on the Prydwen, was eager to examine me. The voice of Elder Maxson, leader of the Brotherhood, was broadcast over the PA system. The speech revealed, to most of us, that they had come to the New England Commonwealth to combat the Institute & their synth technology.

The medical officer began with a general examination that was mandatory for all new recruits. Afterwards, Cade could quite quickly confirm Haylen's suspicions that I was infected with parasites. They didn't knock me out but I was given something more than just Med-X because now most of today is just a haze.

Captain Cade, assisted by Initiate Singh, removed a total of five large parasites. Two from in between my ribs, two from my right shoulder & the last one was cut out from behind the left side of my jaw. Afterwards, Singh showed one of them to me, it looked like a crushed brown snail & was nearly a foot long. She explained that it was most likely a kind of parasitic worm from before the bombs that had mutated & that I had more inside me!

To kill the rest of the parasites I'm going to eat anti-parasite medicine & antibiotics for a few days. And for this duration the knight-captain has ordered rest & to remain on the airship. Singh also gave me an eyepatch to wear for my left eye readjusts after the prior injury.

Paladin Danse came to check on me in the evening. He admitted it was his fault Ada was left behind because the Brotherhood only allows tech that is catalogued & approved by the scribes. Danse reminded me of his intention to sponsor me. It's a big deal, this sponsorship, because it’s my best chance to officially join the Brotherhood of Steel, but if I fuck up both of us shall meet consequences. I'm not sure why he offered it to me but I'll do anything to free Shaun.

I had begun writing this entry late at night when I got a surprise visitor. A straight-backed man about my own age, scars across his face as proof of combat experience, dressed in a long leather jacket & a P.A. jumpsuit underneath. It was Elder Maxson himself. He came to personally welcome me into the Brotherhood of Steel & he also promoted me to the rank of Knight straight away. Danse's mission reports had proven my combat training & power armor experience to earn the promotion. For the duration of the treatment & prescribed rest, Elder Maxson suggested I should get to know the crew of the Prydwen as well as the history, ideals & rules of the Brotherhood.

Patrick Donahue, Knight & Survivor

[patsythegreaser]

16th Dec., 2287

The road* back towards Cambridge was a long one. Not because of mindless ghouls or aggressive gangs but because of pain. The ache in my torso got worse & more distinct down my flanks. I figured it was likely due to the added weight of carrying Ada but saw no solution to the situation. When taking a deep breath started to hurt I decided to take Med-X to numb the pain.  *Figuratively. 

I felt an unexpected level of relief upon return to the Cambridge Police Station. Rhys seemed to look better but I was informed that Danse's search for additional medical supplies at a nearby hospital was abandoned due to a large number of Raiders members.

I was given access to a terminal to detail my mission report. To begin there were minor stretches of incomplete tracks that would need repairs, most of them concentrated near Graygarden. A total of 8 derailed train cars would need to be displaced & another 18 to be restored in order to free up the railway. Major obstruction northwest of Quannapowitt consisting of debris would require removal before further scouting north. Potential attack threats by feral ghouls at & around Bedford Station & by members of the Raiders armed with explosives in the general area west of the lake. Lastly, I motivated my decision to abandon the scouting assignment because of the large obstruction & a focus on locating & securing the area for my own personal safety.

Haylen's a perceptive sort. While I was working on the report she had noticed that I felt sick. She technically ordered me to be subject to an examination & I had no reason to refuse. I talked about the increasing pains & mentioned bouts of fever. Haylen scolded me for not taking the fever more seriously & informed me Stimpaks nor Med-X cures it. Further questioning revealed my decreasing issues with diarrhea. Haylen said she suspected an infection or parasites but that she was unable to confirm it at the station. She strongly suggested I'd visit the medical officer on the airship when we got there.

The woman also has a pleasant sense of humor, able to decrease tension by cracking a joke. She even put Rhys on the spot for a moment.

I decided to spend the time trying to repair Ada while we were waiting for the evac that was gonna take us to the airship. The garage of the station had a workbench & tools that allowed me to create temporary non-jointed legs for Ada. With damage this severe it would technically be easier to take functional legs from another robot & connect to her torso. 

Patrick Donahue, Survivor

[patsythegreaser]

14th Dec., 2287

We spent most of yesterday following the tracks through several rocky ravines. There were small pockets of muddy slopes or patches of dead grass between the cliffs. I've determined that we were somewhere northwest of Lake Quannapowitt where the railway came to a complete stop. They were buried beneath tonnes of debris such as fallen trees, medium-sized boulders, blocks of broken concrete from the nearby elevated highway & tonnes of dirt. After closer inspection I came to the conclusion that the obstruction was most likely deliberate.

South of the blockade, we had passed a derailed military shipment with an opened security cage & empty explosives crates all around. I think the tracks were covered to trap shipments & loot their cargo.

Near the blockade on the railway we found two seperate shacks, both showed signs of habitation in the last few months. Crossing the ravines were bridges constructed in similar fashion.

Today, me & Ada continued to investigate similar buildings in the vicinity because their make made me suspect the Raiders were active in the area. On the other side of the highway we found a series of shacks & those were inhabited. We met heavy resistance despite having the higher ground, mainly because they had plenty of grenades. I panicked when I saw one of them with a M-42 Tactical Nuclear Catapult aimed at us. The same guy wore a power armor frame with metallic scrap bolted to it. He finally stopped moving when I applied a sledge to his helmet.

Ada's limbs were severely damaged during the encounter to the point I had to carry her across my shoulders. It wasn't these people that blocked the railway in the first place but I'm certain that they had looted their explosives & power armor from that train.

We travelled back south to locate & check the last shack that Ada had been able to spot. I approached the shack with the minigun in my hands & a grenade within reach, not taking any chances. Poor woman stumbled backwards into a chair, under which her mutt had already scrambled. She was just a simple farmer that had left a settlement behind to dedicate herself to reclaiming the skills of growing crops. I was relieved that she accepted my apology.

I asked the farmer about the surrounding area but she didn't have much to say. The place suited her fine without others, people or anything else, residing nearby. She pointed to the only point of interest in the area & by that I mean the woman pointed at a few large objects that shone bright in the sun.

Downhill from the farm, parts of a crashed airplane jutted out of the ground. There were plenty of skeletal remains of the passengers around the place. Some still strapped in their seats. I located the flight data recorder & listened to the final recordings. I wanted to pay my respects, offer all of them a proper burial but Ada was there to talk me out of it. 

Patrick Donahue, Survivor

[patsythegreaser]

I am so happy that you have come back to writing again! These last few months were empty without a weekly update and I am both anxious and excited to see if he saves little old baby Shaun. Great job! [honks twice]

First off, to quote Professor Song: “Spoilers...”

And secondly - thank you! For a warm, electronic welcome back. Patsy’s journey is far from over and is soon about to take some major turns, so sit tight for that to be published. I might have been working on some other OCs on the side that’ll play a part in this story.

PS. I appreciate the MBMBaM-reference, but can’t come up with an appropriate one to respond with so... Shrimp! Heaven! NOW!

[patsythegreaser]

12th Dec., 2287

Rhys bluntly briefed me on the second assignment. The mission is to scout & secure a length of train tracks, starting west of Cambridge & leading north towards the "Factories". We are also to make a detailed report on any obstructions of the railway. He didn't bother to describe the end station & told me I would know when I reached it. Could it be he refers to the industries in Lowell?

Only me & Ada set out from the police station. Rhys injuries had been stabilized after the encounter with the feral ghouls but Haylen needed supplies to be able to help him on location. Danse took it upon himself to locate these & Haylen stuck around to monitor transmissions keep an eye on Rhys.

I located the railway with ease as I've used it to cross the river a few times. We made good progress north along the tracks & somewhere west of Lexington we came across a small funeral plot near the railway, shortly before dawn. A person was kneeling beside a shallow pit with a body in it. Both looked like they were part of the Raiders but this person was alone so I left them alone with their grief

We had reached a railway overpass near the Starlight Drive-In when we were ambushed by some of the Mechanist's robots. They were hiding beneath the overpass & tried to pin us from both sides on it. I just jumped off & charged into the backs of one flank to crush them up against a carriage.

This is the third time that we are attacked by these yellow robots & this time it was a larger number of units. I began to suspect that perhaps the Mechanist, or at least his robotic minions, are able to track the beacon even when it seems inactivated. In an attempt to weaken the signal I put the beacon inside my P.A.

Not far past the overpass I heard several calls for help from nearby. I followed the voices to an overgrown scrapyard where I saw three people with guns aimed at the ground. Giant rodents burst out of the ground & attacked us all. The scavengers were safe with only minor injuries. I regret taking a closer look at a dead rodent. It was glowing bright from the inside & the naked, translucent skin turned my gut inside out.

Near midnight we came upon a freight & switching station that I've been able to identify as Bedford Station. Ada detected movement along the tracks & once again I spotted nothing. I positioned myself at the railway junction & turned on my headlamp aimed at the carriages. With my minigun ready I swiftly dispatched the feral ghouls that were revealed & blinded by the light. I found a holotape recording in the control tower that suggests the location has been a hideout for at least two people.

It's time to find shelter for the night. The railway beyond the station enters a narrow canyon that I would rather explore in daylight.

Patrick Donahue, Survivor

[patsythegreaser]

9th Dec., 2287

That temperatures here in the New England Commonwealth would be lower in mid-December compared to late October is reasonable. How much could the climate really change over two centuries? I've realized that the intermittent shivers aren't caused, at least not only, by the cold of the season but also a fever. Not much I could do about in an old hardware store.

We kept moving west & reached Cambridge roughly an hour after noon. Ada detected movement ahead of us where a space opened up among the houses. It was a large graveyard adjacent to an old style cathedral. I spotted the stumbling of feral ghouls among the headstones & overgrown grass & soon realized they were feeding upon something or someone.

Hopeful that the meal would keep the ghouls busy, we tried to keep moving towards the police station. I don't know what it was that attracted their attention, maybe Ada's clanking & the smell of a fresh meal, but we found ourselves dispatching 10 or so of them. I thought it would be respectful to at least move the mostly intact bodies into the graveyard & that's when I noticed dog tags. At least two of these things had once been soldiers like me. I felt my heart sink & told myself the least I could do was to hold on to their tags as a way to preserve even the tiniest memory of them. 

COL. A. Engel of 4th Armored Infantry Division SrA. F. Endrizzi of 82nd Airborne

A swarm of yellow eyebots charged upon us in the graveyard & were soon supported by a former sentry bot. The last time we crossed paths with robots like these (yesterday), those were loudly replaying the Mechanist's preaching, but this time they were silent. I could easily identify the "handiwork" though. Is it possible that only one man could modify & manage all these robots by himself? They seem to cover the Commonwealth at this point.

We returned to the police station before sundown to deliver the tech to Haylen. I think she was pleased with the acquisition. A few hours of rest now before Rhys will fill me in on the details of securing a railway.

  Patrick Donahue, Survivor

[patsythegreaser]

8th Dec., 2287

Goodneighbor has offered me two underestimated comforts during this visit. First & familiar was a bathroom with somewhat functional toilet & sink. Second was the bed with a mattress in my room at the Rexford Hotel where I spent most of the time trying not to move. Even if this is my body telling me to slow down, I find no prolonged peace in rest. Because I think of Shaun.

There was a lot of commotion in & around Goodneighbor before I left. Sounds of explosions & more gunfire than usual echoed between the crumbling skyscrapers from somewhere not distant enough. This was reflected among the inhabitants. I carefully maneuvered through the former Financial District of Boston to avoid any encounters.

I stumbled across something strange somewhere in or near North End. From a distance I thought it looked like an oversized maggot & commanded Ada to keep a lookout for more mosquitos. It was a 2 ft long, almost 1 ft wide white mass contained within yellow-ish bubble. I expected it to jiggle when I poked it but it was more like uncooked Cram. Debris in a 3-4 ft radius around it looked recently disturbed & there were 2 inch deep grooves in the pavement underneath it. No clue!

My plan is to backtrack along the route I originally came to the area around Goodneighbor. But instead of wandering out in the open I shall stick to the streets on the very outskirts of Charlestown to utilize the urban ruins as some semblance of cover.

A small group of the Raiders ambushed Ada & I as we crossed a bridge over the Charles River. Three of them had been hiding in a car wreck before they sprung upon us. Their attempt at getting me to hand over my caps was interrupted by a laser beam & familiar recording. Robots modified by the Mechanist ambushed the ambush & the Raiders had no chance without any protection against energy weaponry. His work is flimsy at best but nonetheless deadly.

Ada located a hardware store that will be my shelter for tonight. Plungers stuck to wall & ceiling pointed towards a small cap stash & a homebrew rifle. It's not clear to me what ammo would fit in the chamber.

Patrick Donahue, Survivor

[patsythegreaser]

7th Dec., 2287

I find myself in Goodneighbor once again. The first thing I did after coming here was to visit Daisy, of course. I informed her about the status of the Boston Public Library & then we talked for a good two hours about the best & worst litterature. For a moment Det. Valentine came to mind but I pushed it aside. Why waste that sentiment on just another robot?

 There's just something about Daisy that puts me at ease even though she is a ghoul. I guess she reminds me of Nora, always ready to counter a dry joke with one of her own. That's the reason I slipped up when talking to Daisy & mentioned I enjoyed Grognak the Barbarian. When I thought she'd laugh in my face she instead mentioned Kent Connolly, another resident in town.

I found Mr. Connolly at the Memory Den in his own private room at the establishment. Kent was another ghoul & just like Daisy had been around since before the bombs. I enjoy reading the Grognak comics. Mr. Connolly, on the other hand, has reduced his life to obsessively relive memories of The Silver Shroud & now lived at the Memory Den. When Mr. Connolly wanted to pay me to acquire memorabilia for him I couldn't help but to pity him.

Perhaps on some level I understand. I began reading the comics before I moved for high school. His life is filled with risk & adventure but never worry or afterthought. I admire his certainty against any odds & that taking action seems so easy. 

Prolonged time spent in a suit of power armor is also a bit like living another life. I hadn't browsed the alley market for more than 28 minutes until I got so cold I began to visibly shiver. For these last few weeks I've spent most hours of the day in the relative comfort of my armor which explains why the chill of December snuck up on me. I dug up my old fur hat from the bottom of my bag, 200 odd years in a drawer has added a smell of dust to it, but at least it keeps my ears & gnoggin' warm.

Patrick Donahue, Survivor

[patsythegreaser]

Patsy’s frustration had grown over the last few hours and manifested physically when brought his fist down heavily on the keyboard of the improvised computer unit. In the front of his was the task at hand - to locate or set up a work space for delicate robotic modification, but in the back of Patsy’s mind there was also a sense of pettiness towards Ada for tricking him.

This was the third computation unit that Patsy had tried to bring back to functionality after centuries of radiation and dust. His hopes were that he could find an inventory of tools and parts within the factory or clues to other sites in Boston containing the things needed.

“The terminal show no signs of hostility, sir. Violence only risk to harm it or its components.”

I got blindsided by game- and mod-issues that came with the update to the game in early March. My attempts at updating or fixing or even removing the problematic mod has not been fruitful. I was hoping that updates to the mod after the patch in April would solve my issues but sadly that wasn’t the case and I’ve been unable to access Patsy for over 2 months. This is the main reason I’ve not continued the story. But since March I’ve also made progress in my convalescence and now work 75% which in turn means less time and energy to solve the current issues.

Right now I’m awaiting some in-put from modders and people with better understanding of modded Fallout 4 to see if they can offer any solutions. Until then I have no real way of accessing everything I’ve written so far, for editing and subsequently posting here.

That said, I have -NO- intentions of stopping here and I have drafts for roughly 20 more entries within the game and on top of that is the addendum and even some flavour I plan releasing when I hit maybe 50 posts or followers or something like that. All I can ask is that you remain patient alongside with me as we endure these technical difficulties.

(Image is from ‘The Art of Fallout 4′ but sadly I don’t know the specific artist.)

[patsythegreaser]

6th Dec., 2287

Ada located a still functional maintenance lift attached to the elevated highway nearby the military checkpoint. From that vantage point I easily located the factory & a good route to reach it. I also spotted a number of giant insects in the area to be vary of. A camp had been set up on the highway by someone, who also left behind a note on sleepwalking of all things.

I reached the General Atomics Factory without me nor Ada attracting too many oversized bloodsuckers. Inside were a number of the Mechanist's robots & many of them blaring his propaganda in unison. Ada wandered the factory floor to lure out the other robots & made it easier to reduce them to scrap with the minigun from behind cover.

A group of stragglers had gotten stuck behind a security door. Among the modified robots was one that seemed less tampered with, a RoboBrain. These things still creep me out today! The tech involved to create & maintain them goes beyond my expertise & seemingly something this lunatic struggles with as well. I grabbed the original haptics & interface tech for Haylen. Among the few modifications to the unit there was one that stood out* & Ada confirmed it was a beacon. *It was even painted red, not yellow!

Most of the factory was raided & one wing was locked down completely. In the remains of an office I found intact schematics & some bearing a familiar name. Mrs.Calhoun, from the West Coast, we studied robotics together in the army.

Me & Ada worked out that the red box from the robobrain is a modular beacon that allows the Mechanist to at least track if not remotely control both the unit it’s attached to but also all other units in a certain vicinity. With some modification this device could allow us to track the signal back to the Mechanist. Ada pointed out that the beacon wouldn't function unless attached to a unit & offered herself as subject. The schematics to the robotic workbench wasn't only a reward but also the means to an end, that of the Mechanist.

I'm not angry that Ada duped me, I am impressed! Travelling alongside this customized assaultron is fascinating, both the wiring & programming. She has grown on me.

I think I've pushed my body too hard lately, crossing the city without enough rest & now I pay for it. I ache almost all over but it's worse around the torso & sometimes in my head. Could have sworn my head got bigger because the power armor frame seems tighter. Even though I have some Med-X what I need is to relax.

Patrick Donahue, Survivor

[patsythegreaser]

5th Dec., 2287

Haylen began the repairs of the radio transmitter immediately upon our return. I offered her my expertise but she declined politely & said there were other assignments for me to focus on. The squad's mission was not limited to recon but also included acquiring specific types of tech & securing areas from hostiles. I wasn't pleased at the turn of events but I couldn't let it show.

Through deliberation with Haylen I came to the decision to look for the tech at General Atomics Factory down south of Boston. Ada had earlier said that the caravan spotted a concentrated number of bots in the vicinity of the factory when it once passed.

"Two birds with one stone!" according to a caveman fond of poultry, I guess.

I passed by Diamond City but didn't bother to enter, too many things in there to distract me. Mr. Grant. Detective Valentine. Maybe even Birdie. I only stopped to barter with one of the traders outside the gate for provisions. Which meant Sugar Bombs, potted meat & Nuka-Cola.

The highway leading east from the Mass Pike Tunnel made for a pleasant walk, ignoring a few mines. When the road broke up too much I left the highway & soon found myself outside an old coffee shop. Ada had stopped me because she detected sounds from within. In the basement there was a speakeasy with a tended bar, a stage with live a performance & plenty of inebriated guests. I chatted up Vincent Vincent, a man with weak math skills & a weird outlook on life.

A looped emergency broadcast, from before the bombs fell, led me to the South Boston Military Checkpoint. The message mentioned a stock of food, water & ammunition as well as offering a safehouse for military personnel (only). Despite most perishables having been looted already I still found a decent amount of ammo including a mini nuke.

The shelter was operational & based on a quick scouting, the area seemed safe enough for a moments rest in one of the bunks. Just a few moments ago I awoke in confusion as the world shook around me. A vertibird has crashed into the shelter! I haven't found any survivors in the wreck nor signs of why it crashed.

Patrick Donahue, Survivors

[patsythegreaser]

3rd Dec., 2287

I located the source of the alert to the Cambridge Police Station & it seemed I arrived at the very last minute. The area directly in front of the station had been heavily fortified with ballistic shielding & temporary walls. Within stood one person in dark power armor & struggled to keep waves of feral ghouls at arm's reach with their laser rifle. Backed up against the wall behind the power armor were two people, one was bleeding profusely & tried to shoot at the ghouls with a pistol while the other did their best to keep pressure on the wounds.

My last two molotov cocktails weakened the stream of ghouls into the fortification & it allowed me to utilize my minigun which efficiently dispatched the last of the ferals.

These three people were what remained of their recon squad & had found themselves isolated in the police station when their long-range transmission equipment got blown up.

The man in the power armor was Paladin Danse, officer of the squad. Field Scribe Haylen was the woman who tended to the injuries of Knight Rhys. She quickly got the bleeding under control as soon as the ghouls weren't a concern & the man stopped squirming.

I was informed by the officer that the squad needed to repair the transmitter for their signals to reach the airship. Somehow they had already determined that some industrial facility to the west was the best option to locate new the needed parts.

Danse ordered the other two to remain at the police station & not risk further injuries because he deemed two armored bodies enough to handle any opposition. It felt like there was no time to waste.

We travelled west from Cambridge & followed the river for some time. On the road ahead of us, gathered under a bridge, was a group of what Danse was first to identify as Raiders. He opened fire, I followed suit & in less than two minutes we had taken out all of them. One of the corpses didn't look like the others, a canvas hood like one of the others, but bound to the wreck of a car. There was no hesitation when this man initiated the attack against these people. No discussion of verbal confrontation or alternate routes.

Our goal was the research facility of ArcJet Systems & we arrived after sundown. Danse said he saw signs of synth activity minutes after we had entered the building, a heap of protectrons without any traces of blood or spent casings. The complex reached deep under street level & we found ourselves cornered at the bottom of a silo. We made it out on top of a pile of charred, white plastic. The specific part we were looking for was found on one of the synths & meant the Institute is looking for it as well.

Me & Danse found an elevator that took us back to the surface. On our way up he (finally) offered me to officially join the Brotherhood of Steel & admitted he had planned to wait but realized my skills would come to good use.

I found a strange piece of machinery at ArcJet & not inside one of the labs but rather in a maintenance room near the power reactor. And it’s not made from complex & expensive materials but rather junk found in most garages. Something about it made me drag it with me even though chances are it’s useless scrap.

Patrick Donahue, Survivor